Eni's Bouri Offshore oil terminal is seen off the Libyan coast, in the Mediterranean sea, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2015. The Italian energy company announced it has discovered a "supergiant" natural gas field off Egypt, describing it as the "largest-ever" found in the Mediterranean Sea. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

CAIRO: Egypt is preparing to launch a new bidding round for gas exploration off the Mediterranean coast in the first half of 2016, Khaled Abdel Badie, the head of the state gas company EGAS told Reuters on Tuesday.

His comments came after Egypt announced it had awarded four new licences to explore for oil and gas off its Mediterranean coast, weeks after Eni’s giant Zohr gas find piqued fresh international interest in the area.